Actor Sala Baker is no stranger to playing the bad guy; he appeared, after all, as Sauron himself in Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies. Now he’s starring as the ‘lead heavy’ in a new movie, The Last Deal.
Director Jonathan Salemi was in touch with TORn, and let us know that ‘Sala’s character, The Boss, is the leader of a gang that loans money to our lead character, Vince [played by Anthony Molinari], and when Vince can’t pay him back, The Boss intends to get his money back at any cost.’ Baker is of course also well known as a stuntman, and his skills are put to good use in this film; Salemi told ComingSoon.net, ‘Actors that are also veteran stunt performers were casted in the leads so we could keep all the action on screen without cutting away, and keep it very real.’
The film sold out at the Boston International Film Festival, where Salemi was awarded Best Director. The Last Deal also sold out at Dances with Films in Hollywood, and Molinari was awarded ‘Best Performance by a lead actor’ at San Antonio Film Festival.
The Last Deal is scheduled for a select theatre release in February 2023; meanwhile, you can enjoy the trailer:
The exclusive The Lord of The Rings™ Roleplaying game live event for Extra Life, a charity uniting thousands of gamers around the world in support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals — Only at LA Comic Con
For every Middle-earth fan attending L.A. Comic Con, this Roleplaying live event is the perfect way to end your Saturday evening. There will be an All-Star group of gamers and actors playing the game, all for charity, and you can be there to watch it live.
LIVE EVENT DETAILS: How: Redeem your free ticket at the Legion M booth (booth 1015) starting at 11 am PST on Sat, December 3rd, 2022 When: Saturday, December 3rd, 2022 Where: Only at Los Angeles Comic Con in room 301AB Time: Doors open 6 pm | Show starts 7 pm PT Donate to Extra Life at: https://www.extra-life.org/participant/lostodyssey
The full press release is below:
LOS ANGELES, Ca., Nov. 29 — One charity campaign to unite fans of fantasy and gaming alike. ‘From the mind of Kate Welch’, Lost Odyssey: The Red Scribe will see a fellowship of heroes come together in the World Premiere of the brand new The Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying Game, in a spectacular, never-before-heard tale from Middle Earth. The game will kick off a first-of-its-kind digital marketplace, hosted by eBay, where both fans and companies can buy and sell products to benefit Extra Life, a program that’s raised over $100 million to fund critical life-saving treatments and healthcare services, along with innovative research, vital pediatric medical equipment, and child life services across the nation.
Join game master Kate Welch (Acquisitions Incorporated), alongside an all-star cast of players including Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood, Daredevil), Reggie Watts (The Late Late Show with James Corden), TJ Storm (Godzilla, Deadpool), Luke Gygax (GaryCon, GaxxWorx), and The Dark Lord Sauron himself, Sala Baker (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy), for a tabletop roleplaying experience like no other. Free to attend for any LACC Saturday badge holder, the star-studded celebrity gaming series Lost Odyssey returns to a physical table after two years of webcam games for an incredible cause. People coming together and telling stories to help one another—gathering around the proverbial campfire, and telling a story as one. Be the first to get your free ticket at the Legion M booth starting at 11 am PST on December 3rd – A limited number of tickets are available! Attendees will receive exclusive Comic-Con giveaways like minis, dice, and more… they may even have a role to play in the onstage story itself!
Lost Odyssey: The Red Scribe is presented by The Lord of the Rings™: Rise to War (an officially licensed mobile strategy game based on the iconic trilogy of books by J.R.R. Tolkien, developed by NetEase Games), and brought to you from sponsors including Free League Publishing (Creators of hit TTRPGs like ALIEN The Roleplaying Game, Blade Runner The Roleplaying Game, The One Ring™, and of course the new The Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying Game), Legion M (the world’s first fan-owned entertainment company), Magpie Games (Avatar: Legends, Root The Roleplaying Game, and Urban Shadows), Spidermind Games (creator of the new technologically advanced, Dragon Eye Dice), Miniature Market (the online gaming superstore), DUST (a diverse platform for visionaries across the sci-fi community), GaxxWorx (veteran-owned company focused on creating well-designed and fun games and gaming accessories for everyone), and Syrinscape (the app that brings immersive sound effects and music to your tabletop roleplaying games, offering unique soundscapes that will elevate your game at home the same way you’ll see at-play in Lost Odyssey: The Red Scribe).
Stay tuned for more game details at: lostodysseyevents.com
Follow along on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/TikTok: @LostOdysseyLive
About LOST ODYSSEY EVENTS: From the production company INSIGNIS PICTURES, LOST ODYSSEY EVENTS is a TTRPG event series created by Douglisio DiMuccio and Rob D. Miller, a narrative multiverse bringing together the organizations and personalities of the TTRPG community behind common causes. Story saves.
About EXTRA LIFE: Extra Life is a charity uniting thousands of gamers around the world to play games in support of their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Since its inception in 2008, Extra Life has raised over $100 million to fund critical life-saving treatments and healthcare services, along with innovative research, vital pediatric medical equipment, and child life services across the nation. For Lost Odyssey Events: inquiries@insignispictures.com
If the smallest person can change the course of the history…what can one of the largest officially licensed Lord of the Rings collectible do? Impress some friends – that’s for sure!
We will include the fine details below, but in case you were wonder…YES…it comes with a full realized light up The One Ring, but alas, the finger is NOT removable! (Between us, that does feel like a bit of a lost opportunity)
Worried about the life-span on this investment? The whole piece is made up of a high grade fiberglass material, equivalent to that of a steel alloy – resistant to temperature fluctuations and humidity.
There are only 99 being made for the entire world…so if you have the money to spare, you probably don’t want to wait to get one on the secondary market. It is expected to starting shipping in November of this year. As a small aside, with anything thing big, don’t expect it to ship via a standard delivery service. Guaranteed this is one of those items that is going to arrive in a truck!
It’s not only Bilbo and Frodo’s birthday today; it’s also actor and stuntman Sala Baker’s special day! Sala recently gave an in-depth interview with host Joshy G, for the show ‘Get Super’ with our friends over at Sideshow. Sala talks about how he went from having to be persuaded by a friend to go along to auditions for extras in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies, to snagging the role of Sauron – to starting a new life in Los Angeles, and most recently appearing in The Mandalorian.
Check out what Sala had to say in the interview here; and stay tuned to work out with Sala at the end of the show! Happy birthday Sala; here’s to you!
What lessons can Amazon learn from the team that’s been there & back again? Let’s find out! Join TORn Tuesday hosts Cliff Broadway and Justin Sewell for an epic All-Star LOTR panel tomorrow! Joining us will be Mark Ordesky (Executive Producer), Sean Astin (Actor – Sam Gamgee), Rick Porras (Co-producer), Jim Rygiel (Visual Effects Supervisor), Michael Pellerin (Producer, multiple LOTR & Hobbit documentaries), Keith Stern (Ian McKellen’s Digital Manager), and Sala Baker (Actor – Sauron), as we all relive memories of filming LORD OF THE RINGS. What were those early days on set like? Did producers follow the fan discussion online? What made this effort so special? Get your deep knowledge questions ready for this multi-Oscar winning team and join the Live chat tomorrow 5pm PT. There are three options to watch the live stream, each of which let you comment and ask questions of your own:
How time flies! Exactly a year ago today, February 21st 2015, many of us gathered in Hollywood for The One Last Party. Fans and TheOneRing.net staffers were joined by movie cast and crew members, brought together by a love of Tolkien and of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth trilogies. Many more fans around the world tuned in to watch TORn’s live stream coverage, led by staffers Quickbeam and Justin. Bruce Hopkins (Gamling) acted as MC for the night, PJ himself sent a special video greeting, and the Professor’s great-grandson Royd Tolkien came all the way from Britain for the celebration. Partygoers danced the night away to the music of Emerald Rose and William Kircher’s group The California Dreamers. It was indeed a night to remember!
Staffer Mithril posted recently about the beautiful Red Book she made, containing the names of all who contributed to the crowdfunding campaign to make The One Last Party happen; this lovely book was sent to Sir Peter as a ‘thank you’ from all of us to whom his movies have meant so much. In another look back to that wonderful night a year ago, here are just a few moments captured from that night, and put together by film maker and TORn friend Dan McBride. Let’s reminisce – and hope that it isn’t really the last such event. We may yet have an excuse, one day, for an unexpected party…
